Trump suspends engagement with the European Union

Trump is suspending engagement with the European Union, prioritising direct contacts with individual member states, Politico reports. This move has raised concerns among senior EU officials.

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas sent an “open invitation” to new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to attend a meeting of EU foreign ministers, but has not yet received a response.

Furthermore, no high-profile European officials were invited to Trump’s inauguration. The only European leader present at the ceremony was Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Meanwhile, within his first week in office, Trump held a phone call with the Danish Prime Minister, while Marco Rubio met with more than a dozen foreign ministers, including representatives from Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Italy, but did not engage with EU officials.

Politico notes that this is a “cold shower” for European Commissioners, in contrast to the warmer relations that existed between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the Joe Biden administration.